


Would you like a cup of coffee?

by Ilgakasa



Category: Quest Friends! (Podcast)
Genre: Ah if only there was a Tab button on phones, Also i dont know how to post fics on ao3 that have chapters LET'S GO, Edit: why tf did I always think that Joe was Jesse's bf no Everett what, GUESS WHO'S STARTING THE COFFEE SHOP AU FIC?!, Gotta tag my stuff ey, I genuinely hope i dont lose interest in this fic because i tend to do so, I have so many ideas tho!!!, Other, Prepare for some sweet Xosha yall, The paragraphs are all over the place oops, coffee shop AU, i haven't written anything in any language for a few years besides that music fic, this will be fun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-11
Updated: 2019-04-30
Packaged: 2019-06-25 23:44:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15651357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ilgakasa/pseuds/Ilgakasa
Summary: Xoc needs a job to literally not die. A small café needs a barista.





	1. Please let Xoc sleep

   Xoc wasn't the biggest fan of coffee, though many sleepless nights spent trying to finish his university assignments in time forced him to start his own caffeine addiction. What he was a big fan of, however, was not dying from starvation or from overdosing cheap instant noodles. All of this lead him to a tiny coffee shop right next to his university, that had a big "Looking for a barista" poster on its window. Xoc fixed his shirt, checked his puffy hair that he had spent all morning on hopelessly trying to style in the window and stepped in.  
   He was met by a soft jingle of a bell and Xoc was immediately overwhelmed by the amazing aroma of coffee, milk and chocolate. The café was very cozy - tiny tables with white laced table-cloths and flower vases with freshly picked flowers on them. The chairs had thin pastel coloured pillows on them, making them look extremely comfortable. The soft brown walls were covered in various paintings and photos of different cafés, coffee beans and rural landscapes. The windows were slightly tinted, creating a very relaxing atmosphere, not to mention the beautiful indie music playing in the background. At the end of the room was a big counter, covered with "Welcome! Would you like some coffee?" lines in different languages. Behind the counter were various coffee-making machines, ingredients, cups and a barista. As Xoc approached him, he guessed the man was in his mid-thirties. He was just a bit shorter than inhumanely tall Xoc, had a beard that hasn't been shaved in a week or two and a brown mullet that was tied into a short pony-tail in the back. His name tag said "Hopper" in a very neat hand-writing.  
   "Hello, may I take your order?" the barista greeted Xoc with a clearly faked smile.  
   "Oh, I actually came here because of the hiring sign outside. Is the place still available?"  
   Hopper's manufactured smiled changed into a genuine one.  
   "Of course! Let me find Elee, so she can interview you. Do you have any experience in making coffee?" Hopper asked as he poked his head through a door behind the counter. "Ms. Elee! There is someone who would like to apply for the jon!" he shouted.  
   "Not really, but I'm eager to learn!" Xoc tried to see what's behind the door, but before he could catch a glimpse of the backroom, a tiny old woman rushed out. She had curly grey hair and a quite fierce look on her face.  
Xoc felt like this old lady in front of him shouldn't be underestimated at any costs.  
   "Oh hi!" she actually smiled. "I'm Elee, the owner of this shop. And who might you be, young man?"  
   "Uh, my name's Xoc" the boy replied, returning a smile.  
   "Do you know how to make coffee, Xoc?"  
   "Yes, ma'am."  
   "Are you quick to learn how to use these bad boys?" Elee slapped one of the coffee-machines and Xoc could've sworn that she made a tiny dent in the poor machine's frame.  
   "Yes"  
   "Do you live nearby?"  
   "Yes, I live on the campus."  
   "Excellent. Hopper, take care of the paperwork, bring it to me later and teach the boy the basics" Elee commanded and disappeared in the backroom.  
   Xoc was left in shock. Is... is he hired?  
   Hopper sighed and turned to the young man with a consoling smile on his face.  
   "Welcome to Elee's Coffee, kid. As of now there is only two of us working here - me and Jesse, who will have their shift tomorrow. Now come, put this on." Hopper gave Xoc a barista apron like the one he was wearing "Follow me, I'll show you around".  
_________  
   Xoc was nose-deep in his homework. Engineering was his passion, but pulling off two all-nighters to finish 5 different versions of blueprints and writing detailed summaries of how each gadget would work and how to construct them, was almost too much for him. He reached for his third cup of coffee, just to find it empty. Groaning, he had to leave his messy desk and staggered to the kitchen of his dorm room.  
   Man, he just wanted some good sleep and to build some robots.  
   He poured some water into the tiny kettle and rummaged through the counters for another unused cup.  
   Once the liquid bitterness of joy and life was done, the smell reminded him of the coffee shop he had visited earlier. He actually felt excited, as he had never had a job before and the café looked like a perfect workplace.  
Xoc took a big gulp of gods' nectar and slowly went back to work, motivating himself with the idea of the good times he'll have while working in the coffee shop.  
   Only if he had known, what was waiting for him in the future.


	2. Xoc, the Wizard of Technology

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jesse tells stories about Hopper and breaks a coffee-maker. Xoc meets new people and immediately needs rest. Misha and Shauna laugh a lot (I say laugh three times in one paragraph I'm sorry that english language doesn't have much synonyms of laughing ok, this would look good in lithuanian)

  "Hi! My name's Jesse! And you must be Xoc, my new co-worker!"  
   A very excited youngster in a barista outfit greeted Xoc, who had just put on his work apron.  
   "Hi? Hello," Xoc replied, startled.  
  The boy had finally started his job at the coffee shop and, to his surprise, it was going quite well. He quickly learned how to use the machinery and even managed to deal with the customers without embarrasing himself. His co-worker, Jesse, was eager to teach Xoc everything they knew.  
   They were also very excited to tell stories about Hopper.  
   "So one day, a man stormed in and started shouting about selling him a burger! I was too confused to react, but Hopper, without hesitation, started explaining to the man that we sell coffee and confectioneries, not burgers. And, like, you know what the man said? He said we were suppressing food from the public! He said, like, if he wouldn't get a burger, someone would take his wife and kids away? It was very strange. So, like, after a few minutes of Hopper explaining to the man how cafés work (can you believe his patience?!) Elee came back and Hopper helped her to ask the man out! This was by far the weirdest thing that happened to me while working here."  
   Xoc was cleaning some cups, not wanting to believe that there is someone out there who would do this seriously and not as a very bad prank.  
   Jesse was about to start a new story, when the door bell jingled and two customers stepped in.  
 "You have to try it! I cannot believe you haven't drunk coffee in your life!"  
 "I don't need coffee, Shauna. I've lived without it just fine."  
   "Lies, come here."  
  Shauna approached the counter. "Hey Jesse, give me the usual, please. Misha, choose what you want."  
  "I don't-"  
  "Two lattes it is then," said Shauna.  
 "Take-out?" asked Jesse, writing the order down.  
  "No, I'd like to hang out here a bit, I love this café," Shauna said, looking around the shop.  
 "I believe I have an hour before my next lecture, so I will not complain," Misha seconded, reaching for their satchel and putting the phone, that they used to check the time on, back.  
 The satchel got Xoc's attention. It was covered in cool patches, but the one that stood out to him the most was the emblem of Xoc's university.  
  "Excuse me, are you studying in the Ninth World University?" he asked.  
 "Oh! Yes, indeed we are. Are you also a student there?" Misha turned to Xoc with new-found interest.  
  "Yes. I'm an engineering major. What about you?"  
 "I am studying psychology and Shauna is majoring in architecture and design."  
  Now directly facing Misha, Xoc noticed that their eyes were mismatched - they had one bright blue and one dark hazel eye. He was awestruck as he had never seen such a thing before in his life. He couldn't stop staring at their eyes, especially the blue one, because that shade was his favourite colour.  
  "Are you ok?" Misha spoke up, making Xoc snap out of the trance-like state. "You've been staring at me for a whole minute. Do I have something on my face?"  
Xoc realized what he had done and his ears tinted red.  
  "Oh! Sorry, I just- I've never seen different coloured eyes before, sorry," Xoc started apologizing.  
  "Ah... Yes, I often get comments on how weird it is," Misha snickered at embarrassed Xoc.  
  "No! I mean- That's not weird. I think that's beautiful."  
  Xoc could swear that Misha's cheeks turned slightly pink.  
 "O-oh... Thank you," they looked away for a second and then smiled at Xoc.  
 Xoc felt like someone delivered a good punch in the gut and buried his face in a hot pillow. He had never felt this weird before. Xoc suddenly couldn't look into Misha's eyes, so he had to look away at Jesse and Shauna, just in time to see them exchange meaningful looks.  
  "Alright, here's your coffee!" Jesse said a little bit too loudly, making Xoc and Misha jump.  
  "Thanks, Jesse! Let's go have a seat, Misha," Shauna took a big cup out of Jesse's hands and motioned for Misha to take the other cup.  
  "Oh! Yes, the coffee, coming!" they stole the last glance at Xoc and hurried to join their friend at a table.  
  Xoc wanted to lie down for a minute.  
  "How do you know them?" he asked Jesse, who was grinning at him suspiciously.  
  "My boyfriend and my best friend go to the same university as Shauna, Misha and, I guess, you," they turned to a coffee machine and started making themselves a hot drink. "Shauna's also a frequent visitor here, so we've become friends over time! And I bet Misha's going to become a frequent visitor here too," they said the last sentence under their breath, but Xoc still heard it.  
   "What do you mean?"  
   "Oh, nothing," Jesse shook their head with a smile on their face and pushed a button on the machine.  
   It made an unusual rumbling sound. Jesse frowned. "That's stran-"  
  They were interrupted by a loud beep and hot dirty water suddenly started flowing from all three taps and also its sides. "Oh crap! Xoc, get a rag, help!"  
   "On it!" Xoc rushed into the backroom and came back with a duster. Jesse used it to absorb the liquid, oozing from the sides. Xoc was desperately trying to collect all of the water streaming from the taps in cups.  
 "You ok there guys?" Shauna asked concerned.  
   "We're just fine!" Jesse replied in a way that clearly meant the opposite.  
  After a minute, the leaking stopped and Jesse squeezed out the water out of the rag into the sink. Xoc found a mop and used it to clean up the huge puddle on the floor. They both looked tired.  
   "This old thing's been acting up lately, but I didn't pay much attention to it. I should've told Hopper or Elee... Now I'll have to buy a new one, probably," Jesse sighed, letting the rag pathetically fall out of their hand in to the sink. It made a sad 'plop' sound.  
  "Could I take a look at it? I am studying engineering after all," Xoc suggested.  
Jesse's eyes lit up with hope.  
  "Oh, knock yourself out! I think there are some tools in the backroom."  
  Xoc carried the machine into the room behind the counter and started tinkering with it. The coffee-maker was a primitive model, so Xoc didn't need to spend much time on it.  
Ten minutes later he placed the machine back.  
  "Did you fix it?" Jesse was staring at the thing, afraid of touching it.  
  "I did my best," Xoc smiled, placed a cup under one of the taps and pressed a few buttons. Jesse hid behind a new rag.  
  The machine emitted a satisfying whir and obediently filled the cup with hot water.  
  "Woah! You did it! You are a science wizard!" Jesse was slightly squatting up and down out of excitement.  
  Xoc laughed.  
 "That sounds nice. Science wizard," he dramatically extended his hands in the air. "I am the great science wizard of the east! All technology obeys my orders!"  
  "Oh, great wizard, I cannot thank you enough for saving the poor coffee-maker's life!" Jesse dropped to their knees, grinning from ear to ear.  
   A sudden laugh from the other side of the room made Xoc drop his act. Shauna and Misha were howling with laughter and Xoc felt his face heat up again as he saw them wipe away tears.  
  "Oh- oh man...," Shauna was trying her best to calm down.  
  Jesse stood up, also laughing. That made Xoc ease up a little bit. Good thing there were no other customers apart from the two that were almost rolling around the floor.  
  "Ah... I haven't laughed this much in months. Thank you, you two," Shauna somehow managed to get a hold of herself and was now trying to calm still giggling Misha down.  
  "Always a pleasure," Jesse bowed, making Shauna snort.  
  Xoc looked at Misha and they both made eye contact. They both smiled to each other and quickly looked away. Xoc felt weird looking at them.  
 "Well this has been fun, but we should probably get going now," Shauna said, taking her and Misha's cups to the counter.  
   "Aw, already?" Jesse pouted.  
  "I've got a lecture soon," Shauna fixed her satchel and started heading for the door.  
  "Say hi to Everett and Joe for me!" Jesse called out.  
   "Alright!"  
 Misha, still smiling, hurried after Shauna. Xoc watched them leave the store and slumped on the counter once they were out of his vision.  
 The great science wizard really needed a nap and no human interaction for at least a day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you LeapinGoldFish and up-niitram for helping me with the chapter! Sorry for taking so long to update, I was trying my gosh-darn best to write the characters as much in-character as possible,,


	3. Hopper gives great advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xoc meets Misha again, almost burns himself at work, learns a new skill and something new about himself. Hopper is also there with his famous Hopper's Motivational Pep Talk.

 One of Xoc's favourite places in his university was the library. It was a seperate spacious building, holding thousands of books inside. It was always silent, and even though Xoc usually liked being with others, the harsh university schedule made him enjoy those rare minutes of silence. Just him, his thoughts, the amazing smell of books and homework.  
   And this is what Xoc was planning on doing when he took a seat at one of the tables and placed a decent pile of books and papers in front of him. However, he was interrupted before he could even pick up his pen.  
  "Hello! I believe we've met before in the café. I was hoping to meet you in this building."  
 The person with the stunning heterochromia from the coffee shop -Xoc had actually looked the word up- was standing in front of his table, smiling as brightly as a star.  
  "Oh, hi! Yeah, we did, we did meet before," Xoc chuckled nervously, the memories of him blurting out that weird compliment crushing him like a heavy rock of embarrassment.  
  "Would you mind if I joined you in studying for my lectures?" they asked.  
 "Ah, y-yeah, no, go ahead," Xoc wished he wasn't so nervous. Wait, why was he like that?  
 The person, whose name Xoc had completely forgotten, gladly sat in front of him and opened up a book.  
  "By the way, I'm Xoc," the boy decided to introduce himself.  
  "It is nice to meet you, Xoc. My identification is Misha Jarvis, but you can refer to me as Misha," they nodded at Xoc.  
 Their eyes met again and Xoc felt the familiar pain in his chest. Was he sick? He made a mental note to visit a doctor or consult the internet about it later.  
   For a while they sat in silence, reading. Xoc was having some difficulties, like dealing with his weird urges to look at Misha or randomly remembering their eyes, which made him lose focus. He started worrying he might never do his research in time with Misha sitting in front of him.  
 His inner struggles were interrupted by Misha sighing deeply and grumbling for god knows which time as their long black hair escaped the big purple scarf fell onto their book again.  
 "Are you ok, Misha Jarvis?" Xoc asked shepishly.  
 "My hair keeps covering the book I am reading, because it is simply too long," Misha whipped their hair back, clearly annoyed.  
  "Why don't you just braid your hair then? Or tie it at least," the boy suggested.  
Misha blinked a few times.  
 "I actually never thought of altering my hairstyle for this matter," Misha smiled coyly and tucked their hair into the scarf again. "I will make sure to remember to acquire a hair band the next time I work in the library. Thank you, Xoc."  
  "Ah, you're welcome," Xoc avoided their gaze and buried his nose in the book again, involuntarily wishing he knew how to braid hair.  
____________

  "Careful, Xoc! That thing's hot!"  
  Xoc quickly retracted his hand from a coffee maker, just before he touched the metal part of it.  
 "What are you thinking, dazing off in the middle of work like that," Hopper scolded Xoc who looked incredibly ashamed.  
 "Sorry, it won't happen again!" Xoc tried reassuring Hopper.  
 "You've already told me this twice," he cleaned his hands in a towel and looked around the empty café. "What's on your mind, kid?"  
   "Nothing!" Xoc answered just a little bit too fast.  
    Hopper raised an eyebrow.  
   "Do you... Do you by chance know how to braid hair?" Xoc asked in a small voice.  
  Whatever Hopper had expected, it was clearly not that. He leaned back a little bit and raised both of his eyebrows at him.  
  "Where did that come from?" he asked, confused.  
   "I have a friend who can't braid their hair and it gets in the way when they try to study," Xoc explained, trying his very best not to think about Misha.  
    Hopper smiled.  
   "That's it? I mean, I can teach you, but were you really so deep in thought just because of that?"  
    "I- I guess so," Xoc shrugged.  
    "You probably care a lot about them, huh."  
  "Yeah," Xoc felt his face slowly heat up again. Was the AC not working again?  
   Hopper disappeared in the backroom and came back with three strings. "When braiding hair, you need to part it into three even strands. Then you take one strand from the outside and place it in between the other two, then do the same with the one on the other side and so on," Hopper explained, demonstrating the process to Xoc, who was holding the other ends of the strings.  
    It didn't take him long to get the hang of it.  
  "And that's the art of braiding hair, kid," Hopper grinned, stashing the braided strings back in the backroom.  
  "Thank you!" Xoc actually felt excited. He could not wait to surprise Misha the next time he met them in the library.  
 The door bell jingled, announcing the appearance of a new customer. The boy approached the counter and greeted the person with a smile.  
   "Welcome! May I take your order?"  
  "Hello, Xoc! I didn't know you were working today," Misha smiled back at Xoc from across the counter.  
   Xoc's legs started to give in.  
   "Ah, Misha Jarvis! Yes, I am working today! Would you like a coffee?" Xoc felt very weird. Was he really sick? He wished to take a nap and drink some tea.  
   "Oh, certainly, that's why I came here! Uh," Misha stared at the menu for a while.  
  "Would you like a latte like the one you drunk for the first time, or do you want to try something else?" Xoc asked Misha, who was clearly lost between the fancy coffee brand names and drinks.  
   "Yes! A latte will be good," Misha sounded relieved.  
    Xoc quickly finished the order and watched them leave the shop, holding their coffee as some sort of prize.  
  "I bet this is the friend you mentioned," Hopper spoke up behind Xoc, making the boy jump.  
   "Oh, uh, yes," he stuttered. "Could I go to the backroom for a few minutes? I don't feel well."  
   "What's wrong?" Hopper asked, concerned.  
 "Recently I have been experiencing unusual... things, for example I cannot focus, my face and ears heat up frequently, I feel weak and there's this occasional weird pain in my chest. I think I might be sick, but I don't know yet," Xoc said.  
    Hopper stared at the boy dumbfounded.  
  "Let me ask you something. Did this start happening shortly after you met that friend who just bought a latte and usually happens when you are next to them?" Hopper was trying his best to pick the right words.  
  "Actually, now that I think of it, yeah," Xoc nodded.  
    Hopper gave Xoc a camera look.  
   "Xoc. Have you ever had a crush before?" he asked.  
  "No, why-"  
_Wait_.  
  "Well, congratulations. You do now," Hopper grinned, patting Xoc on his shoulder.  
**_WAIT_**.  
  "Xoc?"  
 " _What?!_ " Xoc looked like he had seen a ghost. Then his face quickly grew red.  
   Hopper laughed.  
 "Calm down, kid. Everything's fine, it's completely normal to have feelings for someone," he tried to consoling clearly shaken Xoc.  
 "Calm down?? I-" Xoc made confused noises. "I cannot _like_ them! I barely know them!"  
   "Love at first sight?" Hopper suggested.  
Xoc was making more confused and frustrated noises.  
 "Alright, that's enough," he dragged the broken boy into the backroom and gave him a glass of water. "Drink this."  
 Xoc drank the whole glass in one gulp. Hopper was impressed.  
 "Just sit here for a while," he said and left Xoc alone with his thoughts.  
  Him? Liking Misha? That's impossible! He doesn't know anything about them! This is absurd! How can you like someone just from seeing them three times? _At least it's not a terminall illness_ , he subconsciously thought.  
   He kind of wished it was.  
Hopper came back with ice cream and a spoon.  
  "Here, this will help you to calm down. Ice cream is the best cure to unwanted feelings. Talking from experience," he took a seat in front of Xoc.  
  The boy devoured the cold snack like a hungry lion, eating his prey.  
   "What do I do, Hopper Scotch?" Xoc buried his face in his hands.  
    "Tell them how you feel," Hopper shrugged.  
  "I can't! We barely know each other! Just yesterday we learnt each other's names and all I know about them is that they study psychology and talk sophisticatedly!" Xoc whined.  
   "Then take your time to learn more about them. Ask them out. Maybe as you get to know them, your feelings will fade. Or even better, maybe they will grow stronger. Who knows." Xoc stayed silent for a second, still hiding behind his hands. Hopper started thinking the boy had passed out, when he spoke up again:  
    "I'm scared, Hopper Scotch. I was eager to learn more about others and myself when I came to this city, but having a crush on someone scares me. Everyone makes it look like a big deal and I am the most inexperienced in relationships 19 year old that is out there. I don't want this."  
     Hopper looked at the boy with a soft look.  
   "Kid, what are you talking about? There is nothing to fear of. Loving is easy if you find the right person. And Misha seemed nice to me. Don't worry about being inexperienced - there has to be a first time for everything. There are people who started dating from 10 years old, I also know some people who are in their late twenties and still haven't dated anyone. Getting your first crush 19 years old is, in my opinion, just the right time."  
     Xoc looked at Hopper through his fingers.  
    "You really think so?" he asked quietly.  
 "Do you like video games?" Hopper suddenly asked.  
  "Y-yeah, why?"  
  "Then treat this as a quest. No matter what will happen, you will get experience and, if the things go right, you might even get a party member," Hopper winked.  
  Xoc took a moment to think Hopper's words over.  
 "Maybe. Thank you, Hopper Scotch," he smiled shyly, slowly uncovering his bright red face.  
  "You are welcome, kid," Hopper ruffled Xoc's hair and headed over to the door. "If you need to organize your thoughts, you can stay here and join me whenever you feel like it, I'll cover for you," he said and left the room.  
   Xoc was left staring at the empty container of his ice cream, a hurricane of thoughts and emotions swirling across his mind, one by one finding their place in his subconscious. Hopper was right.  
   Xoc had a crush on Misha and was ready to think of this as an adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love writing romance fics having no actual experience :)  
> Thank you Leapingoldfish and up-niitram for beta reading!


	4. Awkward dates and cats

Xoc met Misha at the library again. This time it was him who approached the table, the same one as the from before, he noticed. Misha looked deep in thought, slightly frowning and jotting something down in their notebook. Their hair was tied in a ponytail, making them look quite cute. Xoc mentally kicked himself.  
"Hi, Misha Jarvis. I see you are prepared to work this time," Xoc said, putting his bag on a chair and motioning at their hair.  
"Oh, greetings, Xoc! Yes, indeed. I took your advice, however it only works for a short period of time - the hair band slips down and my hair starts interrupting my work again," they smiled at Xoc, reaching for the hair band and pushing it up a bit.  
"I could- I mean- I can braid hair, would you like me to try...?" Xoc suggested.  
"That certainly would help me a lot!" Misha beamed.  
Xoc carefully took the hair band out and tried his best to focus on what Hopper has taught him, repeating the words like a mantra while braiding Misha's hair. The hair was surprisingly soft and easy to braid; though Xoc was still trying to be as gentle as possible.  
"And done," he said, stepping back to admire his work. It was a bit sloppy, but for a first try he thought it looked fine.  
"Thank you, Xoc!" Misha awarded the boy with a big happy smile. Xoc felt his cheeks heat up.  
"Y-you're welcome," he said and sat down on his chair.  
"So how was your day?" Misha asked.  
"Good? I think? What about you?" Xoc never liked small talk. It confused him.  
"It was good! I am really enjoying the university life and, in addition, I got to meet you again" Misha replied, still smiling like a child on a rollercoaster.  
Xoc's heart went wild and he felt a familiar pain in his chest. This time he knew exactly what these symptoms meant.  
"Say, Misha Jarvis, would you like to hang out sometime after lectures? Maybe go to the city or the park?" he suddenly suggested, not knowing where he got the courage to do that.  
"Of course, I'd love to!"  
_Kick_  
"Could I get your phone number so we could text each other about this?" Xoc was already fidgeting with his own phone in his coat's pocket.  
"Yes, can you tell me yours?"

* * *

  
Once at his dorm room, Xoc flopped down on his bed dramatically. Right after they exchanged numbers, someone texted Misha and they had to leave; Xoc couldn't focus on his homework anymore and also left the library.  
The boy stared at the ceiling, re-playing the past ten minutes in his head over and over again. The feeling of Misha's hair on his fingertips lingered. He felt like he was going insane.  
Xoc had never been interested in romance and all that stuff. His knowledge about this consisted of what he had seen in the movies he used to watch (they were mostly centered on robots, technology and science-fiction) and what his classmates used to say when talking about their crushes. He always told his dad that he'd never fall in love, as the biggest love of his life was robots. His dad would just laugh and ask him about what he had done that day.  
The sound of his phone buzzing forcefully dragged him out of his nostalgic memories and into the present reality. He reached over to his phone and looked at the message. The name of the sender made him sit up.  
_Misha_ : Hello, Xoc! I apologize for leaving so abruptly.  
_Misha_ : I was instructed to invite you out for a cup of coffee to make up for this.  
Silence.  
Xoc stared at the messages dumbfounded.  
_Buzz_.  
_Misha_ : I apologize again, as it seems I shouldn't have told I had been instructed, but instead said it was my idea.  
_Misha_ : It appears I have said too much.  
Xoc giggled at the last message and began typing a response.  
_Xoc_ : I'll pretend I did not see that part of your message. I would love to go out sometime.  
_Misha_ : Splendid! How about this Saturday?  
_Xoc_ : I am actually free that day.  
_Misha_ : Let's meet in front of the main building around five o'clock. Is that ok?  
_Xoc_ : Yes.  
Xoc tried to type something else but ended up deleting it a bunch of times. Texting others usually wasn't so nerve-wrecking, Xoc thought. Only then he realized that his heart was doing a high-bpm dance and was on its way to Xoc's throat. The boy decided he needed something to drink.

* * *

  
Xoc had a shift on Saturday, which made him incredibly antsy. While Saturday wasn't a busy day for the café, it still felt like prison to him. His work ends one hour before the meeting time, will he have enough time to walk back to his dorm, change into something more date-appropriate and rush to the main building? Wait, is this even a date? What's a date? How could he forget he had work on Saturday?!  
"Hey kid, what's going on? You seem restless today," Hopper's voice snapped Xoc out of his thoughts.  
The boy stared at the cup he had been cleaning for a while now.  
"Do you wanna talk about it?" Hopper asked, opening the milk fridge to see if they needed to buy more. Unsurprisingly, they did. "Why is everyone drinking coffee with so much milk," he grumbled, taking note in his already long shopping list.  
"What do people do on dates?"  
Hopper dropped his pen.  
"Where did that- oh," Hopper watched Xoc's face gain a slight tint of pink. He picked up the pen off the ground and started twirling it around his fingers. "Well, usually you try to get to know each other better, I guess. Dates are used to see whether you are compatible or not. You see if you have any shared interests or hobbies, if you enjoy each other's company," Hopper shrugged. "I haven't been to many dates, so I can't tell you much".  
"I see," Xoc carefully placed the cup on the counter and glanced at the clock again.  
"Is it today?" Hopper asked.  
"Yeah, five o'clock."  
Hopper looked at the time. It was 3:39.  
"Hey, why don't you go home early?" Hopper suggested, taking his barista apron off.  
"But..."  
"I have to go shopping and make orders for coffee shipments, I'd like the shop to be closed while I do that anyway," he gave a thumbs up. "All you have to do is make sure you have fun on your date today, kid".  
"Shouldn't Ms. Badge do that?" Xoc wondered, taking his apron off as well. "I mean the ordering."  
"Yeah, but ever since the half coffee murder incident, Elee leaves the shopping to me." Hopper's voice trailed off. "Obviously, I feel safer doing this myself too," he took the café's key out of his pocket and spun it around his index finger.  
"The what?" Xoc furrowed his brows in confusion.  
Hopper caught the key in his palm.  
"Let's keep that story for the next time, alright?"

* * *

  
It didn't take long for Xoc to get ready and arrive to the main building fifteen minutes early. He was just too excited to hang out with Misha, whether it was a date or not; it was something he hadn't done before. He watched the students walk in and out of the university, his heart skipping a beat every time someone with long black hair or a purple scarf left the building.  
Finally, he saw Misha.  
"Hello, Xoc! I'm glad you could join me today," Misha greeted him with a smile.  
"Same here," Xoc replied, ignoring his running heart.  
"Shall we go then?" Misha gestured to the busy street.  
For the first time in weeks the weather was pleasant: the sun had blessed everyone with the long-awaited warmth, its rays danced in the windows of shops, restaurants and passing by cars; the sky looked unusally blue and vast, with only a few stray clouds scattered around as if someone splattered white paint on a blue canvas; a playful breeze was messing with everyone's loose clothes and hair, swinging on flags, leaves; it was truly a perfect day to hang out with a person you admire, to do something new.  
Xoc finally looked over to Misha walking beside him and suddenly all the blooming nature he just saw faded in his eyes. The way sun shone onto Misha made their eyes expose their true sparkling sky blue and astonishing gold colours. With each new little detail Xoc noticed on Misha's face he felt himself slowly falling for them even more.  
"Xoc, are you by chance allergic to cats?" Misha broke the silence.  
"Cats? Uh, no," Xoc shook his head. "Why? Where are we going?"  
"My sister recommended this interesting café a few blocks away."  
Xoc just shrugged.  
From outside, the café reminded Xoc of "Elee's coffee": a tiny dark brown café with big windows facing the street, a door with a bell that happily chimes every time someone decides to enter the café, a sign with a wooden cup of coffee plaque hanging next to the door. The only difference - there was a stylized wooden cat sitting next to the coffee cup. The sign above the door announced "Meow Coffee".  
The two of them entered the café and a cheerful hostess walked them to their table. They were seated almost in the back, which was the perfect place for Xoc to observe the entire place.  
This was a cat café, a fairly new type of attraction in this part of the country. There were cat houses, cat toys and mats all over the café's designated play area which took up most of the space, the walls demonstrated a wide array of various cat pictures and there was a neat row of food and water bowls next to a door that supposedly lead to the kitchen.  
But the most important thing - cats. So many cats roamed the café like they owned the place; some were playing in the playground, either alone, with each other or with the café guests, some were sleeping on the mats or on the guests' laps, some were walking around as if they were making sure everyone was behaving. One ginger cat gracefully came up to Xoc and rubbed its head to his leg. Xoc couldn't resist the temptation and gently pet the kitty. It stretched at his touch and started purring loudly.  
Xoc wasn't a cat person, but he didn't dislike them either.  
"What do you think of this café, Xoc?" Misha spoke up.  
Xoc looked at Misha. There was already a black cat sleeping in their lap.  
"I think it's great! I didn't know there was such a place in our city," Xoc said, scratching the ginger behind its ear. The cat absolutely loved it.  
"Shauna said this would be a great place to spend time with someone you don't know well," another cat sat next to Misha's shoe and meowed at them, demanding attention. Misha awarded it with a chin scratch. "I am also enjoying this experience. My sister's cat never approaches me unless she's hungry," the ginger decided to tackle the attention-seeker and they both ran off. Misha giggled at that sight. "Do you have any pets?" Misha asked.  
"No, but if I could, I would probably get a cat as well. Or maybe some sort of insect. They have always been an inspiration to some of my robots," Xoc said.  
"You build robots?"  
"Yeah, I got this passion from my dad. That's why I am studying robotics and engineering at the university. You are studying psychology, right?"  
A waitress brought their menu and then jogged over to another table, masterfully avoiding all of the affectionate cats in her way.  
"Indeed. I want to understand others better, so I decided to study psychology," Misha reached for one of the menus.  
Their conversation stopped, as they were both too occupied by cats and them trying to find something to order. They both ended up with a set of a cup of tea, a cake and a cat in their lap. The waitress who brought them food supplied them with a mountain wet napkins and asked them to not pet the cats while eating.  
"So, do you have any hobbies?" Xoc tried to re-kindle the conversation.  
"Do learning new idioms and learning about other people count as hobbies?" Misha asked.  
"I guess?" Xoc felt like he just ran into a wall.  
"What about you?"  
"I do enjoy following the newest technology news and trying to build gadgets and robots. I used to like watching movies and TV shows a lot, but I haven't seen a single movie ever since I started studying in the university," the cat in Xoc's lap yawned and started purring again. "I also like going on "adventures" with my friends and exploring new places."  
"Oh, I do like that too! I used to live by the forest, my sister and I knew every inch of it. Though I don't remember that anymore," Misha looked lost in thought.  
"Did you move with your family?"  
A weird emotion ran across Misha's face.  
"No, it's just that- Sorry, but I would rather not talk about it," Misha looked out the window.  
Xoc felt the need to quickly change the conversation, before the mood got ruined completely.  
"Hey, would you like to join me in exploring the city together? I usually go around by the bus, it would be interesting to try and walk around instead," Xoc suggested.  
Misha's face relaxed and they were smiling excitedly.  
"I would love to do that, Xoc!" Misha's cat jumped off their lap. "Aw." Misha pouted, watching the kitty trot away to find a new bed.  
"That's decided then," Xoc returned the smile.  
They spent the next half an hour in the play area with the cats and chatting. One of them was very determined to catch Misha's scarf, while Xoc was being attacked by two clingy kitties at the same time. Thankfully, all of the cats had nail caps, so neither of them had to leave with battle scars.  
When they arrived back to the main building, it was already dusk.  
"Thank you for today, Misha Jarvis," Xoc said, fiddling with the cuffs of his sweater.  
"Likewise. I had a lot of fun," Misha nodded and smiled again. Xoc felt his heart melt, like it did every time Misha smiled at him.  
"I'll see you around," Xoc hesitantly waved goodbye and turned to walk to his dorm.  
"I hope so," he heard Misha say.  
Xoc's heart skipped a beat again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah what's this, an update? In 2019? I had an urge to write so I decided to pick this fic up again.  
> God, every time I make a character say or do something, it feels so OOC :I  
> If you notice any grammar mistakes, please do spam my dms on any social media about it thank  
> I wonder how many words is this, the chapter is the longest I've written

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you Leapingoldfish for beta reading my fic! Also thank you up-niitram for ideas for the next chapters!


End file.
